Even more fantastic WMATA fantasy map

Based on suggestions from Richard Layman and others, I've added to the fantasy map to create an even fantasy-er map (as before, click for big version):

There's fantasy, and then there's even more fantasy. In the world of today, a lot of these lines are probably more cost-effectively served by light rail, streetcars, BRT, or something else. They're slower, but if branded well, they could be actually achievable versus the billions required to build this system. However, who knows? Maybe one day soon we will have automated construction robots that can build Metro tunnels for a fraction of the price.

Detailed notes below (or click "read more" to see them) on what's new in this map versus the other one, again in approximate order of realism:

Arlington Cemetery. I had just forgotten this in the last map by mistake. It's now restored in the other map too.

Pedestrian walkway from Metro Center to Gallery Place. This was actually seriously proposed by WMATA. Metro Center and Gallery Place are really quite close, but a lot of people ride the Red Line one stop to transfer between Green/Yellow and Blue/Orange, or when going to or from games at the arena currently called the Verizon Center. A walkway would facilitate transfers and encourage people to walk the one stop instead of riding the Red Line.

Infill stations at Poplar Point and Oklahoma Ave. Poplar Point would serve the upcoming development and possible soccer stadium even better than the Anacostia station, and the Oklahoma Avenue station, which would be in what is now the north parking lot at RFK Stadium, would serve a potential high-density mixed-use development there along the Anacostia waterfront.

Brown Line north of Union Station. To avoid conflicts with the Red Line, this now runs along North Capitol street, serving the neighborhoods in between the current Green/Yellow and Red lines like Eckington and Bloomingdale, and then stopping at the hospital complex and the Armed Forces Retirement Home, part of which is planned for mixed-use redevelopment. After connecting with the Red Line (though not sharing track) at Fort Totten, this line turns west along Missouri Ave/Military Rd with stops at Kansas Ave and Brightwood. After crossing Rock Creek, it turns southeast on Nebraska Avenue and stops at the Politics and Prose area at Connecticut, intersects the Red Line at Tenleytown, continues to AU, then turns southeast on New Mexico Ave to Glover Park, finally going south on Wisconsin Ave to Georgetown.

David Alpert is the founder of Greater Greater Washington. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He now lives with his wife and daughter in Dupont Circle.

Comments

this is looking pretty amazing, david! i was wondering if, for readability, it would be possible to move the brown line further away from the red line, perhaps by (graphically) routing it due south from fort totten with a rightward kink into union station (looking like it approaches from the northwest)? i know that the labels for mt. vernon square, etc., would be difficult to fit in here though.

still, this looks very well thought out. why the hell can't we spend money on things like this, projects that would be completely sensible and worthwhile!

The Georgetown-to-Ft Totten segment is problematic. 1st, a line shouldn't terminate at a busy station like Georgetown would surely be. 2nd, Brightwood and Kansas Ave might not have the density to support a station.

I wonder if a good alternative would be to have an east-west route split off the yellow/green at U St. Instead of heading north, some trains would head west with a much needed stop in Adams Morgan. (With exits at 17th & U and 18th & Kalorama.) Then on to Kalorama (Conn Ave & T), with a ped tunnel to Dupont, then the West End and then Georgetown. Then perhaps north up Wisc Ave, and either merge with Red, or jump over to Upper Connecticut Ave by the MD border.

I like the concept of the brown line but I was wondering why you stopped at the Harbor instead of taking the train line down 210 toward Fort Washington and Accokeek. I understand a Virginia extension but Indian Head is clodded with people coming as far as Waldorf. I think extending it further south would benefit Southern Maryland and bring more "jobs" to an area filled homes and no work.

Nice map. If i were you, I'd try lowering the path of the orange/silver lines between foggy bottom and mcpherson square, so you can get rid of the bend in the new downtown blue line segment. Those new blue line stops are along M St, which is where the Mt. Vernon Convention Center station is. It's funny seeing a line bend when in reality it would be a straight shot.

One change I would suggest is my pipe dream of splitting the Yellow Line off at Columbia Heights and continuing it north on 14th Street rather than running it with the Green Line to Ft. Totten. Love to see someone proposing more in-town growth, as I think too much emphasis has been placed on new sub/exurban lines (Purple Line, Dulles extension).

Great map, but like someone else said, the Brown Line termination at Georgeyown is problematic. Why not bring it down past the Kennedy Center, maybe even add a stop to the Lincoln Memorial, and then bring it westward and pull the Brown Line throught Arlington, down Columbia Pike? As in, INSTEAD of the light rail. And the take it on to Seven Corners or Skyline or whatever. Just sayin'.

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